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I. ALLSOP AND W. W.-SIBSON.

'BRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

I N VEN TORS Tlwmasflilsqzz E Y5. I

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

By I Sz'bsozz ATT IIILJHILJJ ILIUIMILJI T. ALLSOP ANDN'V. W. SIBSONE DRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. I919.

1,322,279. Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

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WITNESSES THOMAS ALLSOP AND WALTER N. GIBSON. F PHILADELZl-IIA-k, PENNSYLVAIQifi,

ASSIGNORS TO THE PHILADELPHIA DRYING MACH tilt'lll i en NY,

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA'IIGN 6F PENNSYLVAHXA.

DRYING-Il/IAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenteafl I i-urn 31S,

Application filed March 18, 1919. Serial 3E0. 283,86?

To 0/! (rim/u [2 may concern:

lie it known that we, Tnouas ALLsoI and ll'aixrru \l'. Fausox, citizens of the United States. rcsidingin the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pen nsyl 'ania, have invented certain new and useful Ill-1* provements in l)r vinglvlacl1ines, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

The invention relates to that type of dry* ing machines in which the goods to be dried are subjected to the action or a mechanically agitated drying medium within a suitable inclosure while supported upon a suitable traversing conveyor. i i

In previous structures of the type of such machines as above outlined, the drying medium has been circulated at right angles to the travel of the conveyer. While such an arrangement lends itself admirably to the treatment of certain classes of goods, We have found it deficient in other cases and especially .in the treatment of articles of china pottery, etc, which, on account or" their susceptibility to shrinking and warp ing must be very evenly dried in order to produce satisfactory results. Furthermore, certain kinds of such goods by virtue of their peculiar composition and configuration, do not generally allow of an economic disposal upon the supporting conveyer when considered in connection with a machine wherein the flow of the drying medium IS in a, direction transverse to the movemcnt of the conveyor.

' In order'toovercome these difficulties, We have invented a drying machine in Which the drying medium is clrculated in the same general direction as that of the travel of the conveyor, and. in which the articles under treatment, are so disposed or grouped as to attain maximum efiiciency not only as to capacity, but also to insure intimate contact in congunction with maximum. surface exposure to the drying medium.

The organization by which we attain these ends will be niorereaclily' understood from the description which follows.

Figure I, is a longitudinal sectional elevation through a drying machine conveniently illustrating our invention.

Fig. II, is an end elevation of the same as vie ed from the right f Fig. I;

worm 18, on a vertical ill, a View corresponding to Fig, l, of a modified form of our invention, and

F IV, is an elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the carriers by which. the are supported curing traverse through the drying inachin Referring first to the form of our inven tion illustrated in l igs. l and H, the n1achine will be observed to consist of a quadrangular inclosure comprehensively indicated at l, and formed as a metallic fire proof structure constituted by a skeleton framework L, and a, coverin comprising the end, Walls 3 and l, side Wallsii -S, and a root 6. These cover elements, in actual prac tice, are usually in the form of thermoinsulated pan l and 0t .tandinrd construction and, a def 4" howing has therefore been 16 1i wings. vcl s to [be dried are progressed through tht :sure by an. endless conveyor traveling a W rate of speed in order to afiord the reg til- 3, time period for the proper tr "ttinei This conveyor comprises a pair of endless chains "7 which follow a circuitous path longitndimilly through the inclosure under the guidance of a series of paired sprockets 8 to inclusive, graphically represented in'dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. Each pair of sprocliets is in general mounted upon a common shaft and the system is driven "from the. shaft 16, upon ivlflicl'i the sprockets 11, are mounted. To the ord truding end of shaft 16, (F3 ll) is fixed a, Worm wheel 17, which v i' h shaft 19, the latter being in turn driven through second Worm gear couple 20, from a pulley shaft 21. Power from any'convenient. source may be transmitted through beltconnecticn with the pulley 22, on shaft 22,

Referring again to Fig ill, it Wi l be noted that the conveyor chains are disposed in close proximity to the side Walls5-5, Within the inclosure, thereby affording an extensive interspace which is tnimsverscly spanned by a series of supporting carriers best shown in Fig. 1V, each of these can riers consists of a shelf or tray piwtally suspended from the sprocket cl alns "7--7, under-the support or a pair of end brackets 2'v- 2li Provision is, of course, made for enablingthe trays to pass. the sprocket shafts, as by suitable proportioning of sprocket and trays, the drawing being somewhat diagrammatic in this respect. We have herein shown the tray as supplemented with a series of rack members 28, which lend themselves readily to bracing flat articles such as plates or saucers thereby holding them in a substantially vertical osition. This disposal of the articles upon tie trays has an important bearing in serving to assist in directing the drying medium in its circulation, as will be more specifically explained later herein.

For the purpose of confining the circuit of the drying medium to a definite path, the inclosure has been divided by partitioning into a series of compartments and channels. Of these partitions, the vertical ones represented by the numerals BO-31, extend substantially the full height of the inclosure with provision at. the top and bottom for the passage of" the conveyer carriers, and subdivide said inclosure into a drying compartment 32,' a heating compartment 33, and athird subdivision 34, which may be conveniently termed an auxiliary compartment through which the vertical portion of the return ,run of the conveyer passes.- This 7 compartment, (as will be better understood from further description) is neutral in so far as the circulation of the drying medium is concerned so that access may be had to the 'conveyer for unloading through an opening 35, provided in the end wall 4, without entailing any loss of the' heated air. The drying compartment is in turn sub-. divided into a main or diffusing chamber 36, and a duct constituted by a vertical branch 37, and horizontal branch 38, which is functionalas a by-pasg'between the diffusing chamber and the heating compartment. This subdivision is co-jointly effected by partitioning consisting of the vertical mismber 31, already described, a horizontalmcmber 39,'spaced from the floor of the inclosure with only a sufficient margin for the passage of the conveyer carriers, and a. third vertical grated partition 40, likewise spaced from the left hand end wall 3, of the inclosure. Theheating compartment 33, is closed at the top by a horizontal section 41, and at its bottom, communicates. with the horizontal duct branch 38,'through an opening 42. Interposed between the vertical partition 31, and the horizontal partition 39, is an inclined section 43, which facilitates the passage of the air between the duct and the heating compartment 'under the propulsion of the rotaryfan 45, centrally located in an appropriate opening in partition 31. This famis mounted upon a shaft 46, driven by a bevel gear couple 47, from a shaft 48, Whose terminal end protrudes beyond the. inclosure .to afford attachment for a pulley 49. The latter may be coordinated by a belt connection with the conveyer drive system,

or actuated from an individual source of power.

-Any convenient means may be employed I for maintaining an even drying temperapresent purposes, we have diagrammatically represented a series of steam or water heating coils 50, which serve advantageously in practice from arr economical standpoint. These coils are grouped so as to expose the maximum heating surface to the air flow,

and extend laterally across the full width of the inclosure Within the confines of the heating compartment. (This feature, when taken in connection with the central location of the fan 45,. between the conveyer chains, assures both an even heating of the air and a uniform distribution of the same over the-cross sectional area of the'diflusing chamber. f I

The conveyer may be both loaded and unloaded through theopening 35, in the end wall4, of the inclosure or if preferred, the

loading operation may be performed through a separate opening 51, in the left hand end wall 3.

ture in the heating chamber, but for the In operation, the carriers are charged entirely to that portion of the inclosure at the left of the partition 30, so that the auxiliary compartment is rendered neutral, thereby preventing escape of the drying medium beyond the inclosure notwithstanding accessibility through the'opening' 35. The heated air,under the propulsion of the fan 45, is blown longitudinally across the diffusing chamber 36, i. 6., in the direction in which the conveyer progresses through the chamber or in the opposite direction, and uniformly distributed therein, through the cooperation of the grated partition 40, and thereafter broken a up or dispersed through the interstices of the grated partition and first encounters the newly loaded carriers in the vertical duct branch 37. The air thus dispersed in various directions within the duct, impinges upon the articles upon the carriers from many different angles of approach, thereby effecting an even initial heating before they are advanced to the innor chamber 36. When once-within this chamber, the supported articles, by virtue of their vertical disposal upon the carriers,

are not only exposed at both sides to the horizontal air flow, but become functional themselves in serving as bafiles to channel 'the air between them and thereby render the distribution of all the more even, notwithstanding the several reversals of motion of "the conveyer 'in following its circuitous .path within the chamber. After the treatment in the said chamber, the conveyer ed, and which, after drying lends the desired gloss finish. a

The .modification disclosed in Fig: III, comprehends the same general features described in connection-with the first embodiment, except 'that the equivalent 'of the par tition 30, has been omitted with the consequent elimination of the auxiliary compartment.

This modification may be briefly described as follows:

*TheinclOsure is here represented by the numeral 60, and since the conveyer 61, and its driving appurtenances are already Well understood from the detailing of the previous embodiment, repetition is deemed unnecessary in this connection. The inclosure 60, is interrupted longitudinally the transverse vertical partition 62, in which the circulating fan 63, is mounted while the partitions 65' and, 66, are functional in a general manner as before. By this construction, the machine 15 first of all divided into.

a main drying compartment 67 and a heatmg compartment 68. Said heating compartment is completed preferably by supplementing the upper edge of the fan partition 62, with a lateral extension 69, and prolonging the horizontal partition 66, to the right of the fan partition as at 70, to the extent clearly shown in the drawing. Prolongation 70, is provided with an opening 71, communicative with horizontal por tion 72, of the return air duct. The heating coils 73, are located directly to the right of the fan partition 62, and within the confines determined the said partition and the elements 69 a-iid 70. By this arrangement, the course of the air is short circuited through the opening 71, and. drawn between the piper-oils in reentering the difi'usingchamber. In the present in stance, the inclosure is provided with a single opening 75, which serves both for loading and unloading the conveyor.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

- 1'. A dry-ing machine comprising an inclosure divided into a drying compartmentand a heatingcompartment; means for circulating the air longitudinally between said drying compartment and heating compartment;

- closure.

3. A drying machine comprising an inclosure divided into a drying compartment,

a heating compartment, an auxiliary compartment accessible from the exterior of the inclosure; an endless conveyer traveling a circuitous path within'the inclosure between the drying compartment and the auxiliary Eompartment; and means for circu lating the air back and forth between the drying compartment and the heating compartment, longitudinally ',with reference to the .conveyer, in a course confined to said drying and heating compartments.

4. A drying machine comprising an inclo sure-divided into a drying compartment; a heating compartment; and an auxiliary compartment accessible 'from the exterior through an opening in the' inclosure; an endless conveyer traveling at circuitous path longitudinally within the inclosure between the drying compartment and the auxiliary compartment; means for circulating the air longitudinally between the drying compartment and the heating compartment; and means for confiningthe air circulatibn to a definite course to prevent escape into the auxiliary compartment.

, a heating compartment, means for circulating the air-back and forth between said drying compartment and heating compartment; a grated partition extending transversely across the drying compartment, and adapted to distribute the air flow within the said compartment; and an endless conveyer traveling over a longitudinal course through the inclosure.

' '7. A d'rying machine comprising a drying compartment; a conveyor traversing the- .compartment longitud nally, said conveyer consisting of apair of endless chains; and a ser es of transversecam-iers suspended between' said chains; means for circulating heatd air in a direction (m-responding to the generallongitudinal eom-segif the conveyeiwhereby the air is blo \n-laterally across the said carriers.

'8. A'drying machine compriflng a drying compartment; a conveyor traversing: said compartn'ient and comprising-"a pairof endless chains; a'series of carriers supported between said chains; in combination with air circulating means located (in the said compartment in the intei'space. hetween -the. conveyerchams.

9. A drying machine co'n'1prising an in closure divided into a drying '-.om ')artn 'ent and 'a heating con'ipartnient, lam na-fer circulatmgthe alr longitudinally hetnjeen sald dryin'g' compartment and heating compartment; in combination with anendless conveyer traveling overa longitud nal course through the inclosure; and comprlsmg a pair of sp'acedendless chains; 21 series of supporting trays extending trz'1ns\"ersely of the inclosure andpivot-ally suspended from said chains; and means associated with said trays for. supporting fiatartieles, such as plates, in a substantially vertical position.

10. A during machine comprising an 1nelosure divided int-o a drying compartment and'a heating compartment; a group of heating (Oils located ,in the heating compartment and extending transyersely of the, iuclosur'e; means for circulating the air long'itlulinally hack and forthhetween said drying compartmem and heating compartment; and an endless convey-er'traveling "over a longitlulinal'course through the in 

